I am a proud Mantite. Or is it "man-tight"? "Mantise"? "Mantovian"? What ever you want to call me, I am from Manti, a small town in central Utah. While we obviously struggle to find a suitable demonym, virtually everything else about the place is perfect. One of Manti's unique attractions is the Manti LDS Temple. Situated on a hill at the north end of town, the temple stands as a beautiful symbol of the pioneers who built it (it is the fifth LDS temple constructed), and of the same principles for which the city still stands. There are many other benefits to the temple: having a place to stroll on a nice Sunday afternoon, easily accessible temple ordinances, its service as a welcoming sentinel when you come home after a long trip, and as the venue for the yearly Mormon Miracle Pageant.
"The Pageant" as we affectionately call it, is a month of excitement and fun (as well as stress, if you ask certain parents). Our entire town mobilizes with others from around Sanpete County and beyond to provide the 1,000 cast members, numerous stage crew, dozens of ushers, nightly security guards, and many other logistical positions required. It takes a lot of people, time and preparation to welcome the 15,000 visitors who come for the pageant - 15,000 per night, for nearly two weeks. To put that into perspective, that's roughly five times the population of the town, all rolling in on the highway each evening around 6 o'clock. You can see why those growing up in Manti would love this perennial transformation.
Unfortunately, not all of these guests come to enjoy the pageant's spirituality and entertainment. Others come from far and wide in order to save the poor souls of those who are duped into believing the "false doctrines" of the Mormons. Crowds gather on the streets as cross wielding men on soap boxes brandish signs denouncing Joseph Smith and cry repentance on the streets of our little town. And every year, you can expect to hear the same advice from parents, ecclesiastical leaders and friends: don't go argue with the protesters.
This advice, as usual for advice from Church leaders to avoid certain opposing doctrines, comes under fire from both Mormons and non-Mormons who would have us be "more open-minded."
This criticism is seldom well-founded.
In the case of the pageant, the admonition to avoid the hollering protesters is especially legitimate, since I've only very rarely seen a civil exchange of ideas taking place on the cordoned off streets, but rather angry attacks, vicious personal challenges, and absurd "Bible-bashing." Neither party leaves happy or any closer to God. Granted, the lack of value in these exchanges is obvious even to most critics of the pervasive LDS tendency to avoid non-LDS opinions, but they still often accuse Mormon ecclesiastical leaders and opinionists of attempting to shield their membership from opposing views which could shake their faith - presumably because the members would "see the light."
I wholeheartedly agree that a lack of understanding others' viewpoints and feelings is a core reason for many of the banes of society - notably violence, hate and inconsiderate behavior, for example. We need to be more understanding and informed about other people who are not like us. However, I would contend that the idea of avoiding opinions which not only oppose ours but seek only to convince us of the error of our own position is a reasonable position, and is not limited to our religion ideas.
The idea is easier to understand if we compare it to something we all know from our modern age: "yo mamma" jokes. These jokes, which insult the listener by way of their mother, are a form of what is termed a "maternal insult." Maternal insults have been around since antiquity - the Wikipedia article on the subject lists an example from the Bible (2 Kings 9:22) and Shakespeare (Timon of Athens, Act I, Scene 1). These insults are timeless and nearly universal because they play on the virtually ubiquitous phenomenon of "filial piety." That is, it works because nearly everyone loves their parents - particularly their mother - and thinks that they are good people.
You probably wouldn't listen to me very long if I were to walk up to you and presumptuously exclaim, "your mother is a terrible person, and here's why!"
Does it matter if their claims are true? No, not really. I love my mother, but I'm sure that if you really tried, you probably could find something negative to say about her, especially if you looked far enough into the past. I'm guessing your mother is the same. I'm also willing to bet that you, like me, don't really care, and would rather not know every rowdy thing your mother may have done or said in her crazy years anyway, because the fact remains that you were raised by an angelic figure who loves you with all her heart, taught you everything important you'll ever need to know, and sacrificed everything to give you life. And that opinion isn't going to change. So, if you feel the need to inform me otherwise, please ignore that need, because your efforts are not appreciated. But who would actually do that? It's just plain rude!
Similarly, no matter how many silly things Church leaders have said over the years, no matter what contradictory opinions there may have been or how imperfect the Lord's human servants invariably are, and no matter how many doctrines and policies I cannot fully explain, I will not be abandoning my testimony of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ or my love of the church I believe to be His. I cherish them, and am grateful to them, for they have brought me as much happiness as has my mother. So, again, if someone feels the need to inform me that this belief is, in fact, as deceiving as he thinks my mother is, I hope he isn't foolish enough to expect me to read his books and pamphlets deriding it or listen to him argue.
Now, back to our hypothetical situation: you've turned the mother hater away, but, realizing that he can't convince you of your mother's filthy nature, he begins to spread his message among your friends, children and neighbors. What is your reaction? I'm willing to guess that it may be more violent than the reaction of those ecclesiastical leaders who advise their followers not to listen to protestors. Yet, the principle is the same. They love the beliefs which are under attack, and it is clearly not just for anyone to persistently seek to defame them, their comments true or otherwise. So, they warn all they can that this belief will be under attack and they'd best close their ears. Why should we expect any other response?
Clearly, we need to engage in civil discussions about our deepest beliefs and values, including our religious ones. But it must be done civilly, and with mutual respect. I also believe there to be room for proselyting efforts: truth can only be known if it is shared, and every religion has the right to attempt to share that which they love. These efforts must not defile or abuse the closely held beliefs of others, however. There is, after all, a vast difference between an interlocutor who sincerely states "my mother is an amazing person, and you should get to know her," and one who insists with any degree of civility "your mother is worthless."
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